Agentic PD: Rethinking Participatory Design through a Transformative Agency Lens

Participatory Design (PD) has long aimed to empower participants and democratize the design of technology. However, PD is continously challenged to achieve long-term and scalable societal impact beyond localized interventions. This paper argues for using the Transformative Agency (TA) lens — particularly Collective Transformative Agency (CTA) — in PD to address this persistent challenge. Grounded in Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), TA highlights the capacity of individuals and collectives to question, disrupt, and reconfigure existing systems. Through empirical vignettes from two educational PD projects across countries, Country1 and Country2, we demonstrate how concepts associated with TA, such as Double Stimulation and Expansive Learning, scaffold the emergence of agency among participants. These concepts enable participants to see themselves not merely as co-designers but as proactive change agents across micro- and macro-sociotechnical arenas. We argue that deliberately designing for CTA in PD opens new pathways for sustainable and scalable transformation, positioning PD not only as a method of participatory involvement but as a catalyst for enduring democracy.